The Anti-Islam Protest In Sydney Was Virtually Over Before It Began

A week ago, NSW Police employee Curtis Cheng was shot dead by a 15-year-old boy outside police headquarters in Parramatta, NSW. The intervening seven days have been filled with rhetoric around radicalised youth, stigmatisation of the Islamic community and sadness.

Today, a group of anti-Islam protestors planned to picket in Parramatta. Streets were blocked off for hours in the CBD, with a reported 75 police deployed to deal with an expected 300-400 protestors.